12 months and a year
by sske
Summary: It's been 2 months since the collapse of Shadoloo and the supposed death of the most wanted and dangerous man on the face of the earth. But is he truly dead? And what is this plan of his to create a new Doll, one who would shatter the life of people who knowher...R&R
1. Prologue 1

Prologue (1)

1

"… And we will continue shortly, after this groovy music!" The pink-haired girl's voice rang out cheerfully as she slipped a music record and turned off the microphone. Although her voice sounded jovial, Senor Adriano couldn't help but noticed how his employee was sweating profusely, even though the air conditioner was on full blast. He watched as she slumped on her black leather desk chair, her left hand gripping the armrest with such intensity that the man wondered if it would break under the pressure. Her right hand reached up to her damp forehead and attempted to wipe the sweat there. She was looking agitated and uncomfortable; her mouth curled to a frown as she furiously massaged her temple.

"_Estas bien, Senorita?" _Senor Adriano asked with concern.

This girl, who was barely 17, came to his house one rainy day about 2 months ago. She was suffering from hypothermia and was cold to the bones. Senor Adriano took pity of her and allowed her to stay with him, given that she could remember who she was and where she was. There were no forms of personal belonging on her, and the clothes she was wearing were old hand-me-downs. Attempts to unearth who she was always met with a dead end.

Normally, Senor Adriano wouldn't think of allowing her to work for him at his radio station, due to her age and her lack of a work permit and being a complete stranger. But after discovering her bubbly nature and her love of talking (after recovering from her ailments), he decided to relent and let her work there. So far everything had been going smoothly and there were no bumps on the road.

Until 2 days ago.

As he wrapped his arms around the girl, he felt her trembling slightly. He couldn't see her face as her huge curls acted as an obstruction.

"Josefa(He called her that, since she did not have a name.)? If you are not feeling well, maybe we should call it a day, it's almost 10pm" Senor Adriano spoke.

"I'm fine, I … I just having a migraine." Josefa sighed audibly. "I just feel weird, like there something nagging in my brain…" her head hung as though in defeat. " No worry, let's go home. I will call someone else to take over you, okay? I…" Before Senor Adriano could finished, Josefa screamed shrilly, her whole body shook violently, her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

Senor Adriano was taken back by surprise. But before he could react to this strange situation, it stopped. Josefa stood stiffly, like a stature, her eyes staring blankly at him.

"Josefa?" Senor Adriano inched forward; fear suddenly took hold of him, though he knew not why. "Are…" he stopped when Josefa spoke up.

"Designated codename: Enero. Online." She droned.

A sudden flash of red in her eyes was the last thing he saw before 2 powerful hands gripped his throat.

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" One down, eleven to go"

2

"Ohhh, _Mademoiselle_ , which dress do you think look better on me, hmmm?" The plump convivial lady chirped brightly as she place a flowery dress over her body and admiring herself at a body length mirror.

_None of them, porc._ The pink short hair girl thought with a mental sigh, but she forced herself to smile radiantly. " Well, the dress you are currently holding sure fits you perfectly, like a glove." Her sarcastic remark was lost to the woman, who frowned and shook her head,

"_Non, __il ne regarde pas assez bon._ Please, find better dresses! All these dresses you selected looked horrible!" The woman exclaimed bluntly.

Ophelie felt her throbbing headache getting worse as he glared daggers at the narcissistic woman. _You fat bitch…_ She thought irritably as she looked back at the heaps of clothes she pulled out just for this woman. Ophelie wondered why she decided to become a clothing store assistant, probably because of her love of clothing or the more major reason of feeding her stomach.

Her earliest memory was when she woke up in a dingy little house, on a bed with a elderly couple tending to her injuries and exhaustion. They told her that they found her just lying in a dark alleyway 2 months ago when they were on their way home one day. Thinking she was some homeless child and seeing the cuts and bruises on her body, they decide to bring her to their abode. When they questioned her identity, to her surprise and horror, she couldn't remember a single thing. The elderly couple decided to christen her as Ophelie, which she thought was a beautiful name.

She decided to take a job at a clothing store to help keep ends meet, being the sole breadwinner of this 'family'. She regretted her decision almost instantly.

_The reason why I'm still here, you little shit, is because I was lucky the manager decided not to ask for any identification. _Ophelie thought before a sudden pang of pain shot through her head, causing her to bend forward slightly.

"What are you waiting for, _Mademoiselle, _find me better dresses!" The woman retorted, unaware of Ophelie's predicament.

"It hurts, it hurts so much!" Ophelie screamed out, unable to block the pain any longer. It felt like something dark was worming its way into her mind, breaking all her defenses, until…until…

A few patrons turned their head to her direction, wondering what caused the outburst. The woman took a uncertain step as Ophelie began to shake violently, spittle flying out of her mouth. Then she stopped.

The plump woman was figuring how to complain to the manager of such bizarre display of action when she saw Ophelie's inhuman red eyes and unnatural standing position, like a staure.

"Designated codename: Fevrier. Online"

The woman did not have time to scream before a sharp kick to the head shattered her cranium and ended her existence.

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"Two down, ten to go."

3

"Excuse me, _Frau."_

The purple-haired girl looked up from the doodling on her notebook and into the eyes of a young burly youth. She found herself blushing almost immediately, slamming her notebook shut so that he would see her childish drawings.

"Yes? How c-can I he-elp y-you?" she stuttered, mentally cursing herself for having this speech impediment. It always made her sound like a fool and idiot and she wished she could get rid of this annoying pest.

The youth seemed amused at her difficulty in speaking, but was a gentleman enough to avoid making fun of her. Instead, he asked " I seemed to have a problem with my library card, could you please help me scan it again so I could borrow my books?" he smiled warmly.

Conradina's was lost in those warm blue eyes, it just feel so…friendly, so…She managed to snap out of her trance and immediately focusing on her task, taking his library card with sweaty palms and grabbing hold of huge tome, shaking her head to get rid of those thoughts.

"_Psychology: The Study of the Unknown", _the title of the tome stood out in golden letters. Conradina grimaced slightly at the title. How ironic. Here she was, having no memories of her past, suddenly finding herself in Germany with no knowledge of how she got here 2 months ago. She was so afraid back then; she's certainly no lionheart. She would have lost her mind from fear if she didn't find an orphanage. The kind people there took her in since she was still 17 or so. They provided her with warm food and shelter and showered love on her, making her feel blessed. When they asked where were her parents though, her mind would immediately draw a blank, panic started bubbling in her guts and she would burst into tears. They later recommended her to the national library to work as a librarian.

_How I hate this feeling of the unknown_. She grimaced again as her headache returned with a vengeance. _And this stupid headache too. How many days have it been?_

"You are beautiful, _hübsche dame."_

Conradina looked up sharply, a gasp stuck in her throat as her blush began to deepen to a dark shade of red. "_D-D-Danke_." She whispered timidly as her hand holding the card began to tremble slightly, her heart was beating furiously in her chest. _He's…He's flirting with me!_ She thought joyfully, temporarily forgetting her task and her headache. _No boy ever done that to me before…Mein Gott…_

Her pleasant thoughts were cut short when the headache returned, but this time it felt like her head was splitting. She fell forward, banging her elbows on the marble desk as tears leaked from her eyes. _Make it stop make it stop make it stop…, _her thoughts became more and more meaningless as she felt herself slipping into darkness.

A sudden scream shook the boy and many library-goers to their core, it sounded like a banshee to him. He watched in terror as the girl he had a crush on writhed on the desk like a dying snake. Suddenly she stopped. Before he could voice his concern, however, she spoke, standing as though she was a soldier in attention. A brief flash of red glowered in her brown eyes.

"Designated codename: Marz. Online."

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"Three down, nine to go."

4

" Would you hurry up?! We are going to be late for school!" the little boy whined at his red-haired sister. He was already in his school uniform and was impatiently stamping his feet on the polished wooden floor, creating a racket loud enough to wake up the dead.

Michele groaned irritably and using her arm to prop herself to a sitting position on her bed. She was having a hell of a headache already and this din was not making things any better. As she strolled lazily into her bathroom, she couldn't help but think how loud and annoying her brother was. Or at least she tried to see him as her brother.

2 months ago, she woke up in a Italian police station. Confused and frightened by her surroundings and to add oil to fire, she had no recollection of her past. After she woke up, she was given some sandwich to eat, which she devoured like a ravished wolf. Then she was being questioned about her identity, which she honestly told them she couldn't remember. Michele heard one of the policemen muttered "Amnesia." And her blood ran cold. She couldn't have amnesia, could she? The thought alone send chills down her spine.

She spent a few days in a jail cell (the police thinking she must be a asylum seeker due to the lack of identification papers on her), until finally, a family of 3 identified her as one of their kin, thanks to the small news of her appearance.

When they first entered the cell, she looked at them curiously, as she never seen them before. The moment her family laid their eyes on her, they immediately rushed forward, crying tears of joy and sprouting out blessing and thanks to who-know-who.

"_Soella!_" The little boy cried out, hugging his sister tightly, who just stare at him strangely. "Who…who are you people?" she questioned , trying to released herself out of the embrace of her little brother. Gasps of shock echoed in the tiny cell. The man took a step forward, his lips trembling as he spoke, " Don't you remember us? We are your family."

Michele shook her head as she splashed some water on her face, trying to forget her shock and disbelief. It was cringe worthy now that she thought it, her reaction must had been laughable. Of course after their introduction, she lived with them for the past 2 months and to be honest, it wasn't very easy. It was disconcerting to bid 2 strangers goodnight and handle to a hyperactive child she almost felt no love for. At least things were getting better now and she felt closer to them (maybe less for her brother) and she attended school and make some new friends. Life was peaceful for a while.

Until today.

As Michele exited her bathroom fully changed to a sleeveless white shirt and jeans, her headache suddenly took a turn for the worse and she stumbled to the ground, her face a mask of pain. _Go away, you stupid thing, go-_ her eyes suddenly widened as she felt a dark presence entered her brain, twisting every cog and wheels inside, all for its malicious purpose.

The little boy arrived at his sister's side when he saw her thrashing violently on the ground as though electrocuted, a scream emitting from her mouth. "_Madre, Padre_, come quickly! Sister is hurt!" the boy yelled for his parents desperately, looking at the doorway. Footsteps can be heard resounding down the corridor, but they would not arrive in time to see her horrifying sight. Suddenly, the boy felt no movement from his sister. He glanced upwards only to see her standing still and stiff, like a plastic doll. The boy knew something was wrong, very wrong when her eyes flashed red.

"Designated codename: Aprile. Online."

She then turned her attention to the petrified boy.

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"Four down, eight to go"

5

" Focus, Komako! You need to concentrate!" The old man said, his long white beard flowed gently in the cool breeze. In front of him stood a teenage girl with short dark hair, who was panting from the effort she put in. " _Gomen nasai, Sensei," _the girl known as Komako bowed before resuming to a defensive stance, both hands gripping onto a katanna, which gleamed in the evening light. The old man sighed before reuming to his own defensive stance with a similar katanna in his hands.

In a flash, the girl sprinted forward before viciously swinging her blade towards the old man. He casually raised his katanna to block the attack, a metallic clang could be heard when the metals collided. Immediately, she dropped to the ground, attempting to sweep-kick the old man's feet. The old man leaped into the air and did a back flipped before landing a distance away from the girl.

Komako rushed towards the old man before jumping into the air and slashing her katanna downwards to him. The old man dodged out of the way using his katanna to shield him before grabbing the girl in mid-air and sending her forcefully to the ground. Then with the speed of a striking cobra, he poised the katanna near the throat of his downed opponent, " Sloppy." he commented, his tone indicating that he was not pleased with her performance. He moved the katanna away from her so she could stand up.

"Forgive me…" She murmured before collapsing to the ground on all fours, panting heavily. The old man shook his head in disappointment. How is she going to improve if this continued?

The old man thought back 2 months ago when he found this girl wandering aimlessly around the forest in the mountain near his dojo. The girl was heavily malnourished, having not eaten for days and was near death. He saved her and brought her to his dojo, where he fed her warm food and provided shelter from the harsh outside world. When she recovered, he found out that she couldn't remember who she was or how she ended up in the mountainous region. The old man sympathized her plight and allowed her to stay with him, even participating in the training he gave to his students. She managed to astonish him with her professional swordsmanship, causing him to wonder how she got that touch. Komako had been improving steadily under his guidance, pleasing him in every lesson.

Until a few days ago.

The old man eyed her trembling form, wondering if she was ill. It started a few days ago, when she would complain about headaches that were so severe that once she couldn't lift herself out of bed.

He started towards her and asked "Are you alright?"Komako stood up with shaking legs and tiredly nodded affirmative. "You seems tired. Let's continue tomorrow." The tired girl smiled gratefully towards her master before it turned to a scream. Immediately, the old man grabbed her before she falls and at the same time, sensing a huge amount of pure evil energy in the air, so evil that the old man could feel the temperature of the field outside of his dojo dropped rapidly.

_What am I sensing?_ He thought in horror before realizing the girl was not in his arms anymore. In fact, she stood a few feet away from him, standing still like a sentinel of the field, her eyes devoid of any emotion._ How-_ he couldn't finish his train of thoughts when Komako suddenly appeared in front of him-almost as if she teleported-and slashed the unprepared man in the chest with her katanna. The force of the slash threw the old man off his feet and landing on the ground, his blood seeping from his wound and mixing with the soil. He grimaced in pain and looked up, seeing his student looming over him emotionlessly. " Komako, how… why…" the old man said weakly, his vision blurring, but not enough to miss seeing her eyes turned red.

"Designated codename: Satsuki. Online"

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"Five down, seven to go."


	2. Prologue 2

Prologue (2)

6

_Something's her mind._

That's what flashed through Cammy's mind when she watched the short orange-haired girl. Juni was fidgeting on her seat, her eyes staring blankly at the mug she was gripping tightly with her hands.

The aroma of home-brewed tea wafted lazily in the suddenly tense room. Cammy stared intensively at the girl who, just 2 months ago, was a brainwashed assassin who killed many innocent lives for the most dangerous man in the world, all against her free will.

_Just like how I once was._

" A penny for your thoughts?" the silence was dissipated by her voice.

Juni shifted slightly on her seat before getting up from the table. She walked silently to the window, which was facing the west, just in time to see the crimson-red sun disappearing over the horizon. Cammy followed suit without a word.

"The nightmares, they returned again when I had an afternoon nap." She spoke so softly, Cammy had to strain her ears in order to hear her. Cammy nodded her head in sympathy. She had the same problems as Juni during the first month of her new life. To say they weren't pleasant would be the understatement for the year. They were downright horrifying that Cammy developed insomnia then, of course they went away, but still…

How Juni got to London still puzzled Cammy. It was 2 months ago when a group of park-goers found her lying on a bench in Hyde Park unconscious. She was still wearing her Shadaloo uniform and given the company's notorious reputation, it didn't need an Einstein to figure out who she was. They quickly informed the authorities to take her away. Once they had her under custody, they informed Colonel Wolfman of Delta Red, who informed Cammy of their new 'guest'.

When Cammy entered the interrogation room, she felt nervous. But when she saw Juni slumped wearily on her seat, all her nervousness was replaced with concern. Her eyes wasn't dead and lifeless like a robot, but filled with emotion like shock, fear, confusion…

After questioning her, Cammy found out that the girl couldn't remember anything, not her time as an assassin of Shadaloo nor how she got to London. Initially, the Colonel wanted to keep her in custody for further questioning, but she rebuked by saying it would be pointless considering she had lost her memories and at the same time being in custody could further scar the poor girl's already disturbed mind. In the end, Colonel Wolfman relented and allowed Juni to stay with Cammy.

In the 2 months spent with her, Cammy taught Juni about society, politics and economy and how to act normal in the public. So far, she was doing pretty when. At least she didn't walked out of a clothing store without paying.

Cammy's train of thoughts was interrupted by a gasp from Juni. The girl stumbled forward, one hand clutching her head while the order hanged onto the window sill for support. "It hurts, it hurts so much…" Juni panted, her eyes shut tightly in pain and fresh tears were forming there.

"Juni! Are you all right?" Cammy bent down and placed a comforting hand on her Juni's shoulder, only for her to be brushed aside forcefully. "Gah…ah…argh…" inhuman sounds escaped from Juni's gritted teeth, her whole body trembling. As Cammy got up, her surprise turned to apprehension, Juni eyes flashed red and noticeably dark aura seeped out of her body.

_No, it can't be possible, he's dead, I saw it with my own eyes, he's dead HE'S DEAD HE COULDN'T BE ALIVE HE COULDN'T!_

"JUNI! DON"T LET HIM GET TO YOU!" Cammy screamed as she launched herself to the girl, only to met a backhanded slap. As Cammy landed heavily onto the ground, her eyes widen in horror as she saw the Doll agent slowly advancing towards her, her eyes glowing menacingly.

"Designated codename: Juni. Online."

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"Six down, six to go."

7 &amp; 11

There she lay, like a corpse whose eyes remained open even after death, on the bed. Ever so silent since the day she and her companion was found in the plains near their village.

The love of his life.

's sigh resounded inside the tiny tent set up only for her. He requested so to the chief and since was seen as a hero among the tribe and was reverted almost like a god, the chief fulfilled his wish and ordered his men to build a single tent just for her. sighed again, his mammoth hand caressing her pale cheek.

If he did so in the past, she would giggle like a schoolgirl and punch his shoulder playfully. But now, she didn't react, not even a single twitch of an eye, or her mouth curving upwards.

Nothing.

felt his heart slowly shattering piece by piece. Although he was a bulky and muscular man, whom anyone glanced upon would think twice about messing with him. However, he let a single drop of tear slipped by. It was too emotional for him, after those long and tiring months searching desperately for her and Little Eagle, leaving no rocks unturned, and when he found her, she was in a catatonic state, a vegetable. As he gazed upon the brunette, it felt to him as if she was a life-size model, a mannequin, a do-

"Still no change?" a soft female voice spoke behind him.

The giant of a man turned around and met with a familiar face of Little Eagle, the daughter of a family that was close to his. They were childhood friends, at least for her; he was in his teens when she was just a child. They were so close that they would confine each other's secret or problem to each other. That's how she knew 's love for Julia.

shook his head in resignation, one of his hands rubbing his forehead to get rid of the mental tiredness he was feeling. "No, she's still comatose. There seemed to be no progress at all." His voice sounded unnaturally flat.

Little Eagle stepped forward to hug him; he embraced her back. The warmth from her body helped thawed the coldness in him. She smiled wearily at him, her eyes twinkling with life, a deep contrast with Julia's.

"We can only pray to the heavens and wait. Maybe one day a miracle will appear." She said hopefully. wanted to share her optimism, but when he looked back at Julia… he just couldn't. "Maybe…" he lied. "How's your headache?''

Little Eagle made a face that brought a genuine smile to his own. "It sure is a persistent one, I can't seem to get rid of it." Even since she was found, she managed to adapt back into the tribe, living almost how she was in the past, of course _sans _the memories. Still, she was fairly healthy, both physically and mentally, until she complained of headaches a few days ago.

"Let's go out and eat." She suggested, changing the subject. "Sure," replied as he walked to Julia's bedside and leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

"Get better soon, I will be waiting." He whispered gently her ears before getting up and following Little Eagle of the opening of the tent. Just as they stepped out, however, Little Eagle suddenly stumbled to her knees; her face was a mask of agony, both her hands clutching the sides of her head.

"ARGGH!" she let out a bloodcurdling scream. Immediately, was at her side in an instant. "Little Eagle, or you all right?" he questioned, alarmed. He received no reply as the girl continued her struggle with…something. Before could alert the other tribe members, he heard a noise behind, like a bed rattling as though someone was thrashing on it, He averted his sight from Little Eagle and to the bed and saw…Julia standing up.

Little Eagle's scream seemed like it was coming from another planet all of a sudden. couldn't believe his eyes. He gingerly advanced towards the girl who was strangely standing rather stiffly. "Julia!" he exclaimed as he grabbed her arms. "You are okay! You are-" his happy mood was cut short when he saw the blank look from her face and how her eyes were glowing red.

_No, it can't be, I heard he was gone, gone forever, so what does this mea-_

felt a hand gripping his shoulder. Turning around, he met face to face with Little Eagle once more, only she had the similar blank expression on her face and her eyes…

"Designated codename: Juli. Online."

"Designated codename: Noembelu. Online."

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"Eight down, four to go."

8

" And the next contestant to face the _Bò Dực_, is _Nguyet_!" the announcer yelled enthusiastically at his microphone.

The cheer from crowd was deafening, to say the least. Everyone was eager to watch another contestant face off the Vietnamese martial arts champion to claim the title for their own, only to fall short and on their face. In the _Bò Dực's_ long fighting career, no one has ever defeated him. He was like a juggernaut, plowing down all his opponents with ease. Needless to say, he became a fan favorite. Everyone wanted to see a confident challenger defeated and humiliated by the unstoppable champion. Still, the chance of having their dignity hurt did not deter many more to fight him. And it seemed like the next foolish one to do so is a female, a teenage one so to speak.

Nguyet walked casually up onto the platform; from the way she walked, it seemed as though she was window-shopping instead of facing off the Vietnamese champion of martial arts. There was a confident streak in her and the spectators couldn't wait to see it crush in the next few minutes.

"Go, Nguyet! Show them what you got!" a small crowd of spectator rooted for her, standing out like a sore thumb in the sea of _Bò Dực's _fans.

Ngyuyet smiled to herself, touched at her people cheering for her. _I better not disappoint them. _She thought as she put on a fighting stance against her opponent. Ngyuyet had been training for the past month, developing her fighting skills in preparation for the tournament. After all, she wanted to do her village proud. At least, she thought it was her village.

2 months ago, she found herself waking up in an unfamiliar environment, a rundown hut in a rural village in Vietnam. At first confused with her surroundings, her mind was put to ease when she learnt that the hut tenants meant her no harm. She was told she was wandering aimlessly in the forest near their village. She has scratches on her body due to be cut by the vegetation there and was severely malnourished. What intrigued the villagers who found her was the fact that she had a blank expression on her face, as though sleepwalking. When questioned, she expressed no knowledge of that. Since she suffered from memory loss, the villagers decided to name her Ngyuget.

As she stood on the arena, she took note of her opponent's appearance. The famed champion really doesn't look anything special. He had the build of an average man, just a little more muscular. His face was covered with a red luchador mask that seemed very out of place in this country, however his fans loved it. His sweaty body glistened under the sunlight and his hairy chest heaved in and out as he breathed heavily.

_How disgusting to think I have to fight with him…,_ she thought, averting her gaze from him for a moment. The man **scrutinize**d his mew challenger from head to toe. Seeing that she was just a teenage girl, he let out a confident smirk. "Since you are a lady, how about I let you have the first strike." He gave a mock bow."

_How dare he looked down on me!_ Ngyuget fumed as she launched towards her opponent with her fist raised. The champion grabbed her fist and swung her over his shoulder with ease. Ngyuget landed gracefully on her feet before continuing her attack, this time with a slide. The _Bò Dực _did not seethis coming and with a yell of surprise fell forward as her legs tangled his legs. As he fell forward, Ngyuget, launched a quick but powerful jab to his guts.

The champion lay on the ground, trying to catch his breath. Ngyuget decided to press on with her advantage and was about follow up with a kick to the side when the headache struck. _No! Not now! _She cried out in anguish as her head felt like someone was slamming a sledgehammer on it. The poundings, it getting stronger, the pain, it's blocking out every sense in her body…

The _Bò Dực _ saw his opportunity, seeing the girl looked dazed. He immediately slammed his body to hers, causing the girl to let out a gasp. Pressing on, he kneed her in the guts (_that's what she gets! _) before following up with an uppercut, snapping her head back. He ended his assault by flipping her over his shoulder and onto the ground heavily, where she lay there motionless.

"It appears that the_ Bò Dực _has won again! Although the contestant put out a good fight for a second, thanks to his superiority in skills and speed, the champion retains his title for another day!" The crowd roar with joy at witnessing their idol defeated yet another wannabe; just a small group of them sighed in disappointment.

The _Bò Dực _did a victory pose by raising both his hands with the V-sign and yelling "YEAH!" at the top of his lungs. However, his moment of victory was ended abruptly when the announcer exclaimed," What's this, it appeared that the contestant was getting up!" The champion turned back in surprise just in time to see the girl standing up. _Inconceivable! Many people I faced would be down for the count! And yet, there she is, getting up _… The champion noticed something wrong with her. Her face took on a blank expression, unlike just now which was full of life. Here yes which were once burning with passion was now ice-cold. That's not all; they appeared to be glowing…

The champion had no time to react when the girl seeming _teleported_ behind him. Before he could cry out in shock, the girl grabbed his head and with an audible snap, broke his neck.

As the lifeless body of the former champion crumbled to the ground, screams of shock and terror could be heard from the spectator stand. However they were lost to the lone figure standing in the arena.

"Designated codename: Santamu. Online."

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"Nine down, three to go."

9 &amp; 10

"What do we have here?"

The balding middle-aged man chuckled to himself when he saw the 2 girls in front of him shrank back in disgust and terror. He loved it when people do that; after all, he was one of the most feared gang leaders in China. Anyone who knew the… things he had done to those who dared opposed him would tremble in fear when they see him.

"Where did you find them?" He turned to face his right-hand man, Wong. The man was a giant, towering all of the gang members with ease. He wore a pair of sunglasses, which gave a sinister vibe to him. Fiercely loyal to the Boss, he would not hesitate to eliminate anyone who the Boss ordered to be killed.

"At the back alley of one of the shop a few blocks down." The giant answered with a thundering voice. The Boss smiled as he strolled leisurely to the 2 cowering Chinese girls. "Hmmm…not bad, they look beautiful and their body… perfect. What a stroke of luck! Our prostitution business has been declining due to the shortage of workers. The 2 of you will make-" he was cut off when the short-haired girl yelled, '' Dream on you old fuck! My sister and I would not be degraded into such low-life as you! _Qu si ba!"_

The Boss smile falter for a second and his right eye twitched. He could feel his anger boiling like lava inside him. Never had anyone disrespect him! He resisted the urge to slap the girl; he prided himself of a man who can keep his cool and temper. He switched his attention from the hotheaded girl to her sister. The girl had bun on her head and long flowing pigtails, one of which he caressed in his hand. The girl whimpered and huddled into a tight ball, but made no attempts to resist.

_Looks like she is going to be the easy._ The Boss thought approvingly at the girl's submission. Her sister launched herself to him, wanting to release his hold on her sister's hair, only to be held back by Wong, who grabbed both her wrist with an iron-grip. She could only squirm in futile as the other gang members in the sleazy "comfort room" laughed at her.

"Don't worry, you will receive a handsome pay for you services; after all, my ladies don't come cheap." He gave both girls a toothy grin. "Besides, you need money, don't you? From your bedraggled appearances and less than fashionable clothes, I say that you two must be living in the streets, right?" The silence from the girls satisfied him. " Just as I thought. Now, if you work for me, you don't have to live in the streets no more. You can have a nice place to rest, good food to eat, beautiful clothes to wear. Of course, at the cost of your virginity…"

"Rot in hell first, creep, then maybe I will think about it." The short-haired girl yelled back despite the pain she received from Wong's grip.

The Boss gritted his teeth at her stubbornness. No doubt she was going to get some sense whacked into her. As he stared at the 2 girls, he felt as though he had seen them before. As if they had been to one of the underworld meetings a few years ago… The Boss shook his head at the absurdity. No way this 2 pathetic girls be in any criminal organization. They were too young and beside, they don't even the mentality of a criminal.

"Enough," he intoned. " Take them to the penthouse to receive their training." A few men grinned wolfishly at the 2 girls; they couldn't wait to train these beauties. One man grabbed the long-haired girl when suddenly she fell onto the floor, screaming her head off while convulsing on the floor. Looking up in alarm, he saw the other girl doing the same thing. Wong had to struggle to retain his grip on the spasming girl.

_What's this? A ploy?_ Just as he finished his train of thoughts, the girls cease their actions, their face lifeless as a stature and their eye glowing red like an ancient demon. "What is the meaning of this?!" No sooner the Boss exclaimed when the short-haired girl swung her head back forcefully into Wong's face. Wong released his grip, his hands covering his broken nose. The girl then did a roundhouse kick to his head, sending him crashing into the adjacent wall. Meanwhile, the long-haired girl seemed to lose all her cowardice and grabbed hold of the man's arm and twisted it. She was rewarded with a loud 'snap' and the cry of pain from the man.

As the Boss and the other gang members took a step back in fear and shock, something clicked in the Boss's mind. Those lifeless face, those blank eyes… he desperately hoped they were not who he thought they were. If they were the 'Twin Empresses of Crime", the 2 devils who ruled the Chinese underworld a few months back with an iron fist…

His hopes were shattered when the 2 girls announced their monikers as they advanced to his quivering frame.

"Designated codename: Xiayu. Online."

"Designated codename: Jianyu. Online."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Eleven down. One to go."

12

If someone ask her if she was cold, she would gladly snap the person's neck in a fit of anger.

The girl huddled into a tight ball, trying to conserve whatever little warmth hat is left in her fragile body. The small fire that she set up in the cave was her only companion; unfortunately, It provided a pitiful amount of warmth for her, both literally and metaphorically.

The girl wore a flimsy parka that was a few sizes too big for her, a thick turtleneck sweater and a faded scarf.

That's all she wore to face with the harsh Siberia cold. Why she would do such an insane stunt was a mystery to all except for the lone mysterious figure who seek refuge in a cave to shelter herself from a sudden blizzard.

When she woke up 2 months ago, she found herself in a hospital room all alone. Sitting up in shock from the foreign surrounding, the first thing her instinct told her to do was to get the hell out of this place. Of course she recognized it as a hospital after a while, a place which is supposed to help her . It's just...the smell of disinfectants, the sickness and death that lingered ominously in the air, it gave her a unsettling feeling, as if she been there before...

Landing on her feet, she made a move for the door (which was slightly ajar) that would no doubt led to the hallway when she caught her appearance on a desk mirror beside her.

The girl tried to blank out the memory of her face, the trauma she suffered to this day. Her scream alerted a few orderlies to her room and despite their best attempts to restraint her; she managed to push past them and escape from the hospital, all the while screaming in terror at what she saw. Her outburst caught the attention of numerous people, but she didn't care, didn't want to face their callous gaze...all she wanted to do is to get out of here so no one can see her hideous countenance again...

She left Russia (she learnt about that much later) and into the Siberian wastelands, where it is devoid of any life and more importantly, any humans. Packing a few rations of food and water into a rucksack and donning on her current outfit (all of which were stolen. She held no qualms about it) and set off about 5 days ago. She spent the previous time planning and engaging in whatever illegal business in order to survive, all the while covering her face with her scarf. And now, here she was, all alone in the barren landscape where everything was a beautiful white as far as the eyes could see.

The girl gulped down a few drops of water from her almost weightless canteen. Her rations were running out, about 2 days worth of them left. Honestly, she didn't expect herself to be still alive; she estimated that she would have died in the second day. Must be some dumb will to live, though she not sure why. She was a nobody, a nameless individual who had no memory of who she was. What's there to live for?

All of a sudden, the headache that tormented her mind resurfaced, causing her to grit her teeth in pain.

She rubbed her forehead furiously to get rid of it, but to no avail. It just keep getting worse, like a knife edging slowly and steadily into her brain.

Giving up, she laid on her backpack. "So this is how death felt like." She sighed in resignation of her fate. She wasn't upset; she just wished she could have a second chance in life, instead of whatever hell she was living.

Closing her eyes, the girl waited patiently for her inevitable fate.

It didn't happen.

All of a sudden, a jolt of pain sent her body into a mad spasm. At this point, the girl felt something seeping into her mind. It felt as though ice-cold fingers were probing her brains. Before the girl could express her displeasure of the feeling, a flash of light blinded her vision before...

The girl stood up, her skin no longer feeling the bitter cold. As she stepped out of the cave into the blizzard, one could see 2 red circles glowing in all the white and a voice intoned.

"Designated codename: Decapre. Online."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Twelve down. The operation has been completed, Lord Bison. "


	3. Returns

_The hulking figure stumbled blindly in the midst of the chaos, his hands clawing the air, trying to grab onto something to allow him to get his bearings for a moment. Chun-Li watched silently, one hand placed onto the crumbling wall to support herself while the other crutched her wounded stomach. Her body was tense in anticipation, waiting for her foe to attack her. _

_The building they were in was collapsing, thanks to the explosion caused by the C4s they used to blow up the Psycho Drive. Around them, the place was an inferno. __Flames engulfed the crumbling building, spreading their boiling rage through everything in their way. The wild creature of fire refused to be tamed, growing more and more wild by each second. The dizzying radiant heat from the blazes pulled Chun Li in deeper into the burning abyss as she struggled to fight it. The unwithstandable scent of smoke reeked in her nostrils, scorching and sweltering hot. Sweat dripped down her forehead and into her mouth, giving her a salty and bitter taste there._

_Confirming that her nemesis was too weak and disorientated to do any harm to her, Chun Li turned and climbed up the metal ladder behind her. Despite how hot the metal was, she continued to persevere, knowing very well that if she just throw in the towel, she would be consumed by the ravenous crimson flames below her. As she gritted her teeth and continued to climb, tears welling up in her eyes, the man beneath her gave out a cry or anguish, his body engulfed in flames._

"_Chun Li!" He roared like a wounded lion, raising his flames-covered hands in the air. "Do not think that a miserable worm like you can hope to defeat me! I will return, you hear me?! I WILL RE-"Just then, a huge chunk of debris from the ceiling came crashing down onto the man, prematurely ending his rant. Chun Li looked back down at the pit of hell, a look of defiant in her face._

"_Oh, just die already, you freak." She whispered solemnly._

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_  
Chun Li woke up from her slumber with a start, at first unsure what disturbed her. Then, she heard a distinguished ringing noise and groaned. It seemed that it was morning already and it felt like she just slept for a few seconds. Wearily, with her eyes shut tight, she lifted her hand to her tableside and forcefully pushed the button on the alarm clock. However, the ringing did not stop. Surprised, she opened her beady eyes to see an illuminated object resting on her tableside.

Her cell phone.

Muttering curses, she picked it up and squinted her eyes at the sudden glare. The name "Cammy" stared back at her.

Looking at the time in her phone, she found out it was 3:49 am. Doing a quick calculation, she realised in was about 8:49pm in the UK. _Why is she calling me this early? Must be something important. _She tapped the confirm button.

"Cammy?"

"Chun Li." Cammy's voice sounded serious, too serious. Other times, she would sound peppy over the phone, but now, she sounded as though someone closed to her had died. Chun Li's curiosity turned up a notch. "What is it?" she questioned. There was silence for a moment, before Cammy's voice returned strained. "You know Juni? One of the Dolls I found a few months ago?"

"Of course." Chun Li came all the way to the UK to personally interrogate her about Shadaloo, but upon finding out nothing from the amnestic girl left her in Cammy's capable hands.

"She…started to act strangely a few days ago, complaining about headaches that wouldn't go away, and this evening…she showed signs of the Psycho Power."

A cool breeze entered the room, causing Chun Li to unconsciously shivered in spite her shock. Her breathe was caught in her mouth, unable to be released, her eyes widened considerably.

"Are…are you sure?" she asked shakily, feeling faint.

"Yes, she attacked me before fleeing the scene. Can't say I escaped with just a few bruises." Cammy chuckled humourlessly.

Chun Li took a deep breathe to compose herself before replying," I will be booking the next flight for the UK the first thing in the, erm, morning. Tell Guile to meet us at your place too. I'm sure he would be very interested at this recent development."

Ending the conversation, Chun Li placed her face on her hands and sobbed, her tears slipping through the cracks between her fingers.

_Why, God, why wouldn't this nightmare end?_ She cried out in despair.

Only the howl from the morning wind answered her question.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I presume they are all here?" The man boomed, his voice reverberating in the room he called his 'throne room'.

The elderly man nodded quickly, a lab coat covering his diminutive frame. Being a dwarf in the same room as a giant can be…oppressing. A single drop of sweat snaked its way down his wrinkled forehead.

"Of course, master, they are all here, present and accounted for." The man smiled nervously, avoiding eye contact with the other man's piercing gaze.

A smirk creeped onto the younger man's face.

"Very well, send them in"

With a snap of a finger, the door swung open and 12 girls marched in like soldiers into the room. Theirs eyes see nothing and their faces held a placid expression. All the clothes which they wore a few days ago changed into the familiar Shadaloo Doll uniform, with their air stewardess-like cap perched smartly on their head.

"Report!" The man commanded.

All the girls raised their hand to their hand in salute and stood stiffly.

"Enero reporting."

"Février reporting."

"März reporting."

"Aprile reporting."

"Satsuki reporting."

"Juni reporting."

"Juli reporting."

"Santamu reporting."

"Xiayu reporting."

"Jianyu reporting."

Noembelu reporting."

"Decapre reporting."

"Well done Doctor, for a moment I thought you have failed me." The man's grin grew wider.

"Preposterous, sir, you put too little faith on me." The old man said, a heavy load lifted from his shoulder.

"Give my Dolls any further enhancement you have developed over the past 2 months of my absence. You better not disappoint me on that aspect." The man gave his subordinate a death glare to prove his point.

"Of course sir. Now off you go." The old man ushered the mindless soldier out of the room.

"Oh yes, and Doctor?" The man suddenly piped out, halting the old man in his tracks. "Yes sir?" he asked fearfully, his mind rummaging through his memories to find any wrongdoings he did. "Once you are done prepping them up, I want them prepared for their first mission in a long time."

"Which is, sir?'

"To capture an old thorn on my side, Doctor." The man laughed drily, sparks of purple electricity darted wildly from his fingers. "It seems we are going to have a new addition to the Dolls unit."


	4. Reunion

Guile ran his hand over his fine flattop hair, sitting rigidly on the waiting room chair, years of military training and discipline clearly shown from his posture.

To say he was unhappy about the situation they were in was the understatement of the year. He was downright furious and irritated.

As the wave of medical personnel and patients passed by him (they almost seemed like a blur to him), Guile closed his eyes and tenderly rubbed his throbbing forehead, feeling an impending headache.

A few minutes flew by before he heard a familiar voice called his name. "Guile! Over here!" the feminine voice yelled out, nearly drowned by the din in the hospital. This prompted the airman to open his eyes, searching for the source of the voice.

And there she was. Funny, considering how after the supposed 'fall' of Shadolaw, the 3 of them hardly meet each other face to face anymore, and remaining in contact with each other was out of question. It was as if Shadolaw brought them together, giving them a cause to fight alongside with each other: Guile lost his best friend Charlie, Chun li's father died in the hands of that murderous fiend, and Cammy…have some _family _relationship with the dictator.

After his death, the bond between them slowly but steadily dissolved, like snow melting when spring approaches. In those 2 months, Guile took a break and decided to make lost time with his family. Julia and Amy were elated over this, especially Julia, who was glad she need not worry whether her husband was going to return in one piece.

Those were the best 2 months he had in his life.

Unfortunately, this peaceful visage was shattered like glass with a single phone call by Cammy 2 nights ago.

Guile gazed upon the newcomer, observing that she scantly changed at all since the last time they met. Perhaps she seemed more tired; her eyes devoid of any vigour or fighting spirt in them, eye bags hung noticeably under her eyes. She looked worse off than him.

Chun Li took a seat beside him, letting a weary moan as she did do. She adjust her unkempt her hairs she stared exhaustedly at Guile.

"How did it go?"

"Smoothly." Guile replied sarcastically as he crossed his arms to his chest, letting out a sigh. "When I told Julia about the possible revival of Shadolaw, she looked at me with disbelief and started reminding me that the organization is gone, before changing tactics and begging me to stay, to allow sleeping dogs to lie. When this didn't work, she just turned her back to me, sobbing as she said "just go, then. I can't stop you. Nobody can." It pained my heart to do this, but I must. And when I was leaving, my little angel asked me innocently when I will be back…I was lost for words."

"Looks like some people just wouldn't die, huh?" Chun Li gave a humourless smile.

"When I get my hands on that son of a bitch, I going to beat the living crap out of him and breaking all his fucking bones." Guile grumbled, his hands tightening into clenched fist.

Before Chun Li could respond, a pink-hair nurse in blue hospital scrubs approached them, squeezing pass the sea of people with difficulty.

"Monsieur Guile?" The woman-though she appeared to be more of a teenage girl-smiled warmly.

"That's me," Guile said gruffly as he stood up, nodding his head in affirmation.

"Ms White is now able to see you. Would you follow me?" She then caught sight of Chun Li, who was also getting up. "I presume you are seeing Ms White too, _ou __avez-vous pas ? _''

''Yes.'' Chun LI replied, taking note of the girl's accent. It sounded French, though it seemed as if she was trying to mask it for some reason or another. Looking at the girl's face closely, which was partially covered with a surgeon mask, Chun Li felt a pang of recognition, but she could not remember when or where she saw her before.

_Must be seeing things_ was the conclusion she arrived to as they made their way to Cammy's room.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

The 3 of them entered the rather tiny room, which almost everything was glaring white, from the walls to the ceiling, from the bedsheets to the floor. Only the blue window curtain offered any colour in this dull room.

Both Guile and Chun Li's eyes fell onto the resting form of one of their comrades, her right leg wrapped in a cast and suspended mid-air from the ceiling. Bandages bounded her forehead, somewhat giving the 2 of them a surreal feeling. None of them have seen Cammy in such a state before; after all, she was an outstanding fighter who can defend herself from any threats, even managed to go toe to toe with for a few minutes when they last encountered the infamous dictator.

It would seem that 's power had increased drastically since their last encounter. For a Doll to simply beat her black and blue…It was almost inconceivable.

Not to say that the Dolls weren't a threat. Each of them wields part of the Psycho Power which enhanced their body, but due to their lifeless and robotic behaviour, it wasn't that hard to beat them as long as you have superior fighting skills.

So there was no way Cammy could have been beaten so badly, even if she was caught in surprise.

It could only be the worst case scenario.

The nurse closed the door with a 'click' as Guile and Chun Li approached the bed.

"Cammy…" Chun Li called out, her hands gripping tightly onto the railing beside the bed.

Cammy slowly opened her eyes and let out a weak smile.

"Hey guys. Sorry to have you seeing me like this on our first reunion." Cammy said before giving out a small cough.

"It's good to see you." Both Guile and Chun Li said in union, before looking at each other awkwardly. Cammy's smile grew wider before shrinking when she returned to 'business' mode.

"I'm sure you both know why I called you. It seemed, no, it is guaranteed that Shadolaw is back. There is no doubt about it."

"Are you sure? Just because that Doll you had with you go berserk doesn't mean he's back. Maybe there is a screw loose in her mind after all the experiments Shadolaw did on her." Guile rebuked.

Cammy's eyebrows knitted together as she replied, "I wish I could say that the revival of Shadolaw is on shaky ground, but from the way she acted, and the dark aura surrounding her…There is no question that the Psycho Power is behind this." "How can we say for certain? Maybe it was just the remains of the Psycho Power in her?" Chun Li piped in.

Cammy sighed. "The Psycho Power can't act on its own, it needs a wielder in order to be functional. The only known people who can do so successfully is Bison and myself. Since I'm a novice in controlling it, that leaves Bison."

Guile slammed his fist on the tableside, causing Chun Li to jump in surprise and Cammy to jerk on her bed. "Damn it, how can we kill this buster? Everything we tried only ends with failure!" Just as sudden as his fit came, it stopped, his shoulders slumped in defeat and sense of hopelessness.

Chun LI placed a comforting arm around Guile. "Don't be dejected. When there's a will. There's a way."

"I'm having doubt on the 'will' part." Guile muttered, his face downcast. Chun Li ignored his comment and turned to Cammy. "So what's our first course of action?"

"Well." Cammy said as she adjusted herself carefully into a comfortable position. "Colonel Wolfman decided to place a tracking device on Juni, just in case of…situation like this. As we are speaking, Delta Red are now tracking her down. Hopefully they will be able to find where Bison is hidi-"

Suddenly, Cammy's eyes widened as she stared passed her 2 visitors in shock. "GUILE! MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" She screamed, waving her arms frantically just as a 'pfft' sound could be heard.

Guile barely had time to leap into safety as the bullet whizzed past him, imbedding itself onto the wall behind him. Spinning around in alarm, Chun Li the nurse holding a smoking semi-automatic pistol in her hands, her eyes staring blankly at the recovering Guile.

Chun Li had no time to react before the 'nurse' fired a few more shots at Guile. He managed to dodge the first few before one struck his ankle.

"GAHH!" The airman yelled in pain as he landed on the ground heavily, his face displaying the pain he was feeling. Blood began to ooze out of his wound as he desperately crutch his ankle to stop the bleeding.

"Secondary target: William Guile. Expendable, termination in progress." The nurse droned as she aimed her pistol at the fallen airman.

The Interpol agent tackled the 'nurse' , sending both women sprawling onto the ground. She managed to smack the pistol off before a powerful hand gripped her throat. Shock, she furiously clawed at the hand to release her, to no avail.

Slowly, the 'nurse' stood up, pulling the thrashing Chun Li up with her. Staring squarely at the desperate eyes of the Chinese woman, she said, "Main target apprehended. Returning to base immediately."

Suddenly, she gave a quick lightning jab to the Chinese woman's face with such force that she was unconscious when the blow struck her. The 'nurse' slung a limp Chun Li over her shoulder just as Guile swung his fist weakly at her while his other hand covering his ankle.

Guile stared disbelief when his fist connected nothing. _It's almost…uncanny! Almost as if she just teleported!_ Just then, he felt pressure being applied at the back of his neck and the world when black.

Cammy could only be the helpless spectator as she watched the Doll took down her friends with ease. _Unbelievable! What had Bison been doing to them these past months? _She then realized that the Doll was standing beside her bed.

The Doll ripped off the surgeon mask, allowing Cammy to recognize the face behind. "Fevrier!" Cammy cried out in disbelief. The last time she saw this Doll in action, she wasn't able to move this fast. It appeared that her theory that the Psycho Power was getting stronger is true.

The Doll looked at Cammy with a faint smile, something Cammy felt strange and…unsettling. "You served no purpose to Lord Bison, yet he didn't order your execution. Be thankful for being able to live another day."

Cammy had no time to ponder over the abnormal behaviour of the Doll nor the weird message before Fevrier's fist enveloped her vision.


	5. Revelations

_It's too bright._

That was the first thing Chun Li thought as she felt her consciousness creeped back steadily into her mind.

Slowly and cautiously, the Chinese Interpol agent opened her beady eyes. At first everything seemed to be covered by a dense fog, rendering her nearly blind to her surroundings. However, the fog began to lift in a few seconds and Chun Li took the time to take in her current situation.

She found herself laying on her stomach on a hard concrete floor, no doubts giving her aches and cramps later. The room she was in was pretty bare, save for a wooden chair which had seen better days and a rusting vent on the ceiling.

Chun Li wasn't claustrophobic, but being ringed by 4 peculiarly well-scrubbed walls (considering the condition of the sparse amount of objects in this room) gave her this sense of oppression and slight giddiness. With arms feeling as unstable as jelly, Chun Li pushed herself off the dusty floor.

"Oh look, she got up."

"About time, I'm getting bored just staring at Sleeping Beauty."

Startled, Chun Li quickly glanced behind her, trying to locate the source of the voices. She didn't sense any other presences in the room other than herself, so when someone suddenly spoke up, her heart nearly jumped to her throat.

Behind her were 2 Dolls (she could tell because of their iconic uniforms, but she couldn't remember who they were specifically), both of them leaning causally against the wall. One of them had short orange hair while her slightly taller counterpart was a brunette with her hair tied to a bun. They were staring at her with an amused and inquisitive look on their pale face.

Staring back at the 2 Dolls, Chun Li felt a wave of unease swept over her, felt fear twisting her stomach into an unpleasant knot. Part of this was because she knew that whenever there are Dolls, Bison is involved or _very _close by. Seeing the predicament she was in, it was probably the latter. Which means she was most likely in the base of Shadoloo. Chun Li couldn't decide whether to be overjoyed or anguished.

The other part of was the strange behaviour of those Dolls. Not to say that the Dolls' behaviour were normal; they would speak and act like mindless robots, only listening and doing what their master command them to do. Yet, these Dolls…Their behaviour was akin to how normal people's behaviour. From her past experience, she had never seen a Doll act like this before.

It was indeed unsettling.

The 2 Dolls approached her silently, with malicious smiles pasted on their face, their eyes however remained that identical to a dead fish. Chun Li stood on her wobbly legs, her body swaying unconsciously. She raised her arms half-heartedly in a defence stance, knowing she wouldn't stand a chance against Bison's elite assassins, yet that doesn't mean she wasn't going down without a fight.

The shorter one reached her first, stretching out her hand to Chun Li's face, as though attempting to stroke her cheek. Chun Li reeled back her face with disgust, before viciously swinging her fist towards to the Doll.

Her fist struck nothing but thin air.

Chun Li felt the familiar sense of _déjà vu _she stared in awe and shock at her fist, which she stubbornly held in place. Tilting her head to the right, she saw the taller Doll giggling like a schoolgirl, her hand placed tentatively on her mouth. Chun Li could only stared dumbly at the laughing Doll, her mind unable to process the wealth of questions entering her feverish head: _Where am I? Am I in Shadoloo Headquarter? Are Cammy and Guile alright? Why are the Dolls acting this way? How did they become more powerful?_

Unfortunately, her questions were remained renounced as she heard a mocking voice taunted her from behind: "Too _slow."_ Without warning, Chun Li felt the sharp daggers of pain stabbed her back, causing her to collapse on the ground, writhing in pain.

The 2 Dolls squatted beside her violently twitching body, eyeing at her with morbid curiosity just like a sadistic child scrutinizing a dissected frog in his biology class. The taller Doll poked Chun Li's ribs with her finger, chuckling, "Look at you, all high and mighty in bringing down Lord Bison, yet being defeated by those who are inferior to him. Ah, how the mighty has fallen."

Suddenly, an unseen speaker crackled to life, and a voice that Chun Li loathed with her life and would remember till the day she die, spoke.

"Juni, Juli. We don't want to ruffle up our guest too much now, do we?"

"Negative, sir." The 2 Dolls replied in union, immediately straightening up and standing stiffly and smartly like a soldier, all hints of emotion wiped completely from their faces.

"Very good. Please take our guest to the throne room. I'm sure we need to get re-acquaintance again after so long, hmm?"

"Of course, sir." Both Dolls chimed at the same time, bending down to hoist the Interpol agent up by grabbing under her armpit.

Chun Li was again shocked by the sudden switch in the Dolls' behaviour, changing back to their 'normal' mood. But those questions were pushed aside by the fear and anger she harboured against the infamous dictator.

_Oh, we are going to get re-acquaintance and get along real fine with each other, once I sink my fist into your putrid face._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After being dragged by the 2 Dolls unceremoniously through a dim-lighted hallway, the trio reached a set of metal doors. Before they could enter, however, a blood-curling scream emitted behind the doors.

Chun Li's first reaction was to burst through the doors to save the unfortunate soul, but she was restrained by the iron grips of Juni and Juli. Juli seemingly took her time to open the doors, the increased suspense and fear were gnawing Chun Li's stomach. When the doors finally flew open to reveal what's inside, Chun Li felt her bilge threatening to escape her throat.

Rolling indolently on the luxurious red carpet covering the entire floor of the room, was the head of a man with a petrified look etched on his face, blood spurting from the stump where his neck was. Nearby, a decapitated body laid lifelessly. From the clothes on it, Chun Li assumed that the man was probably one of the lowly goons Bison has who he considered 'expendable'.

Standing in the middle of the room, a Japanese Doll stood with her legs apart, her hands in the air, gripping a bloody katanna, giving one a sense that she was doing so elaborate pose. Blood from the katanna dripped onto her face, yet that didn't fazed her satisfied grin on her face one bit.

But Chun Li's attention was switched to the person behind her. Standing majestically like a great evil god, his sturdy arms crossed over his broad chest, his mouth stretched to a death grin, his soulless eyes filled with nothing but pure malice.

"Bison." Chun Li whispered through gritted teeth.

The man in question stride with a sense of arrogance down the stairs from the platform he was standing. Kicking aside the bodiless head which was in his path with the same amount of attention to an annoying fly buzzing around his head, 's gigantic frame loomed over the smaller women.

"Agent Chun Li. It has been quite some time we have last met. I apologized for this small…incident here. I just can't stand my subordinates' incompetence and failures sometimes. Satsuki, if you would."

The Japanese Doll gave a quick bow before dragging the corpse's by its leg and gripping the head under her arm and leaving the Throne room wordlessly.

"Look, if you want to continue to gloat at your 'victory' over me and for me having failed to kill you, I suggest you just kill me immediately." Chun Li retaliated. Even though she put on a defiant front, her heart was relentlessly thumping against her chest from the fear she was feeling. Despite facing against the dictator countless times, she could never get rid of her phobia of him

The dictator chuckled heartily. His body shaking with each chuckle he made, as if Chun LI had told him a joke. "Kill you? Why would I do that? Death will end your nightmare swiftly and too soon, something I wouldn't allow for all the troubles you gave me. Secondly, why waste such a perfect body? Granted, it is pathetically weak compared to mine, but are you not proclaimed to be the strongest woman in the world?"

"What are you getting at?" Chun Li's felt the cold stone of fear gradually getting heavier every second.

"Are you that ignorant? I would like you to join the ranks of one of the top officials in Shadoloo."

There was silence for a few seconds before Chun Li burst out laughing, causing Bison's smile to falter.

"Me? Join you? You must be loony to think of such things! I wouldn't join force with you! Not even a million years! You can't force me!"

"That wasn't a request. It was an order." Bison leaned forward until both long-time nemesis's nose almost touched each other. "You can ask them," he gestured at the 2 Dolls behind her. "They didn't ask for this, but thanks to my charming nature, I persuaded them successfully." The shark-teeth grin returned on Bison's face. "Care to know how?"

Chun LI felt the world went cold all of a sudden.

"You wouldn't…" She stammered, a lump in her throat

"It wouldn't hurt." Juni comforted.

"You couldn't…"

"Come on, it wasn't that bad…" Juli cooed

"NO! I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU DO IT!" Chun Li cried out in anger as she struggled desperately like a beast caught in a trap. But the combined hold of the 2 Dolls proved that such attempt to escape was fruitless.

Bison watched the scene unfold before him, savouring the very moment of it.

"I see you realised what I'm getting at. With the untimely departure of Killer Bee, there is a vacancy for the leader position in my Doll unit. And who other than you can be the perfect replacement."


End file.
